Protective case for mobile devices

ABSTRACT

A protective case for a portable mobile device is disclosed. The protective case comprises a shell that defines a compartment for receiving and retaining a mobile device, a cover panel, and a connector component. The shell has a main panel that includes an aperture and a subpanel that is hinged at a first side within the aperture and reversibly attached to the aperture via mechanical protrusions or detents at a second side so that it can rotatably attach and detach, or snap, into and out of the main panel. The hinge may be formed by one or more flexible layers overlaid on the shell or via mechanical swivel joint such as a pin and socket connection. A connector portion connects the cover panel to the shell and forms a flexible spine between the cover panel and the shell. The connector portion is comprised of opposing inner and outer layers that are overlaid over the internal and external facing surfaces of the shell and cover panel. The main panel of the shell is configured to receive and retain the mobile device within its compartment and may be snap-fitted over the mobile device. In operation, the case can be opened and the subpanel detached from the main panel to allow the main panel to rotate relative to the subpanel and rest on the inner surface of the cover component to provide varied viewing/operating positions to the user.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.17/103,932, filed on Nov. 24, 2020, which is a divisional of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 16/362,233, filed on Mar. 22, 2019 and issued asU.S. Pat. No. 10,848,195 on Nov. 24, 2020, which is a continuation ofU.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/200,372, filed on Jul. 1, 2016 andissued as U.S. Pat. No. 10,243,608 on Mar. 26, 2019, which claims thebenefit of and priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No.62/188,438, filed on Jul. 2, 2015, the entireties of which are herebyincorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND Field of the Invention

The present disclosure relates to user removable protective cases formobile devices, and particularly lightweight folio-type cases.

Description of the Related Art

Mobile devices, such as smartphones, tablets, laptops, and the like areknown to sustain damage from impact and from contamination as a resultof the ingress of water or other fluids. Such damage may result, forexample, in a cracked screen, scratches on a finished surface, lost ordamaged buttons or controls, cracked or bent external body components,and/or foiled or malfunctioning electrical components. Protective casescan protect mobile devices from such damage and other types of damage.

There remains a continuing need for improved protective cases for mobiledevices.

SUMMARY

Disclosed are numerous aspects of unique and inventive protective casesconfigured to receive, retain and protect a mobile device. Such mobiledevices typically include a front face and a back face the differencebetween which defines the height or thickness of the mobile device, aperimeter defined by top-end, bottom-end, right, and left sides residingbetween the front and back faces, and corners defined at theintersecting regions of the sides. The cases may be for a mobile devicethat is in the form of a tablet, a mobile phone, an MP3 audio player, agaming device, or other portable handheld electronic device and may haveone or more touchscreens, including on its front face and/or back face.

Such protective cases are, in a first aspect, generally comprised ofthree primary components: as molded shell, a cover, and a connectorcomponent. The shell component is configured to include a compartmentdimensioned to reversibly receive and retain the mobile device. Thecompartment may include one or more openings so that the user may accessvarious user interfaces of the mobile device (e.g., touch screen(s),home button, power and volume buttons, speaker and charging connections,etc.) while the mobile device is retained within the compartment.

The shell may be comprised of a main panel and a detachable subpanel,each of which has corresponding inner and outer faces. The main paneldefines the compartment and includes an aperture that is dimensioned toreceive the subpanel. The subpanel is hinged along a first side orlocation within the aperture formed in the main panel and anchored on asecond side to the cover via the spine. One or more attachmentprotrusions are provided and configured to mechanically engage, latch orclip the subpanel into the aperture of the main panel at or near thesecond side or location to thereby secure the subpanel to the main panelof the shell.

When the subpanel is attached or otherwise secured at the secondlocation, the subpanel and main panel maintain a fixed relative positionand orientation to one another. The subpanel is dimensioned such thatwhen it is positioned within the aperture of the main panel, there is aslot or gap between opposing edges of the subpanel and the adjacent edgeof the aperture. The aperture also includes indentation or a lip at oneor more regions along its defining wall borders that is dimensioned toengage with the corresponding edge or lip regions of the subpanel so asto serve to stop the subpanel from swinging into the mobile devicecompartment formed by the shell and its main panel.

The cover generally is comprised of a cover panel configured ordimensioned to include a perimeter that is coextensive in dimension withthe front face of the mobile device so that it may cover the entirety ofthe touch screen of the mobile device. The connector component connectsthe cover panel to the shell via the subpanel. The connector componentcan be comprised of two opposing flexible inner and outer layers (e.g.,synthetic and/or organic fabrics or textiles) that are overlaid onrespective opposing inner and outer sides of the cover panel and shell,including the subpanel. The overlaid layers may form the hinge thatconnects the subpanel to the main panel of the shell portion andattaches the shell component to the cover component. The connectorcomponent further includes a flexible spine portion that is adapted toallow relative movement between the shell and cover components and toallow the cover to open and close over the shell when the case is openedand closed.

The shell may be made of any suitable material that is capable ofretaining the mobile device within the shell compartment, for examplevia a snap fit over the device. In one aspect the shell may bemanufactured of a flexible polymer such as polycarbonate and/or fiber(e.g., carbon or Kevlar) reinforced plastic. The shell may be morerigid, less rigid, or have generally the same rigidity as the frontcover or panel, which may be formed of the same material as the shell orsome other polymer or cardboard or other material capable of having theplanar stability or rigidity suitable for maintaining sufficientperimeter area to cover the screen surface area of the mobile devicecontained within the shell. The main panel of the shell may be formed ofthe same or different material than the subpanel of the shell.

In one aspect, the spine portion of the connector component may be aregion where the two flexible layers are directly adhered to one anotheror otherwise attached or where there is an interposed component thatallows for flexibility in that region akin to that of a book spine.Alternatively the spine portion may be formed of a different materialfrom that used in other regions of the flexible layers all together ormay be comprised of a more conventional mechanical hinge that isattached or incorporated into the connector component, like those usedin a conventional door mount, but with one side connected to thesubpanel of the shell portion and the other side connected to the coverpanel, for example via overlaying the inner and/outer flexible layers.

The inner and outer layers are generally configured to overlay themid-regions of opposing sides of the main and subpanel panel and thecover panel and form a flexible spine between the cover and shell aswell as to form the hinge between the sub-panel and main panel. Recessedattachment regions may be provided in the shell component panels so thatthe outer surfaces of the attached layers reside at or below the heightof the adjacent regions of the shell panels. Such a configuration canmitigate the layers catching an edge during use or peeling-off as theywould be effectively embedded within the panels at or below thesurrounding surfaces.

The inner and outer layers may be made of a flexible natural orsynthetic material (e.g., a synthetic leather) or fabric. The innerlayer, which is configured to be in direct contact with the mobiledevice may be formed of a soft lining, felt or micro-fiber material thatis not abrasive to avoid imparting blemishes or scratches to the mobiledevice. The outer layer may be formed of a more durable texturedmaterial, such as textured leather polyurethane.

The inner layer may be configured to cover some, all, or most of themobile device compartment defined by the shell portion including theinner faces of the main and subpanels of the shell. The inner layer mayalso cover the inner face of the cover panel, which is configured to bein contact with the front face of the mobile device when the case is inthe closed position.

In operation, when the case is open, the subpanel, which is anchored tothe spine and the cover, may be detached by the user from the mainpanel. Detaching the subpanel from the main panel allows the main panelto pivotally rotate relative to the subpanel at the hinge so that thecase can be folded over itself to form different viewing or operatingpositions. For example, once the subpanel is detached or disengaged frommain panel, the main panel can rotate at the hinge (between the subpaneland main panel) away from the spine over the inner face of the cover.Once rotated over the inner face of the cover, the proximate edge (e.g.,left edge) of the main panel of the shell can be position to sit atopthe inner face of the cover panel to provide the desired an angledviewing position.

Rather than adding weight to the case to bias the retention of theselected viewing position, retention of the case in the desired viewingposition, is facilitated by the force resulting from the weight of themobile device contained within the case. Thus, the case may bemanufactured or configured with light-weight materials and so that itwould not hold an angled viewing position by itself without the mobiledevice contained therein. Rather, in one aspect, the case is preferablyconfigured to be bias to a closed position where the subpanel and mainpanel are generally parallel to one another and not rotated relative toone another. This may be achieved by securing the layers over the mainand subpanel of the shell while the subpanel is closed and thus theoverlaid layers would naturally be in tension when the when the subpanelis opened and therefor bias the subpanel into the closed position. Theinner face of the cover may include one or more slots or openings in theinner layer so as to create a wallet for credit cards and the like.

A corresponding method of manufacture is also disclosed. A shellcomponent (including a main panel and subpanel) and a cover component aseach is described above is molded or formed and then overlaid on theirinner and outer faces with the flexible inner and outer layers. A hinge,which connects the subpanel to an aperture in the main panel of theshell, is provided between the subpanel and the main panel along a firstside or location. The hinge may be formed by the overlaid inner and/orouter layers. The inner and/or outer layers may be overlaid when thesubpanel and the main panel are in the closed position to bias thosepanels into the closed position. Slots are formed in the inner layerover the cover panel to form a wallet or credit card holder. Regions ofthe inner layer adjacent to the slot are configured to be free toseparate from the underlying layer to allow the credit card or similaritem to slide through the slot and at least partially into the gap orspace between the two layers and/or the cover panel.

Each of the foregoing and various features, constructions,configurations, and aspects, together with those set forth in the claimsand summarized above or otherwise disclosed herein, including thedrawings, may alone or in any combination form claims for a case device,apparatus, system, method of manufacture, and/or use without limitation.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a line drawing of a perspective view of a protective case in acompletely closed position with the cover side up.

FIG. 2 is a line drawing of a perspective view of the protective case ofFIG. 1 in a completely closed position with the cover side down and theshell-side up.

FIG. 3A is an external perspective view of the protective case of FIG. 1showing the external faces of the case, the cover is swung open at thespine that resides between the cover and the shell with the subpanel ofthe shell remaining attached to the main panel of the shell.

FIG. 3B is an internal perspective view of the protective case of FIG. 1showing the internal faces of the case and a first viewing/operatingposition or configuration, the cover is swung open at the spine thatresides between the cover and the shell with the subpanel of the shellremaining attached to the main panel of the shell.

FIGS. 4A-4B illustrate internal and external views respectively of theshell component of the protective case of FIG. 1 alone without the coverpanel or the overlaid layers. The subpanel is attached to the main panelof the shell in the closed position.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the protective case of FIG. 1 with theshell folded outwardly at the spine and the main panel of the shelldetached from the subpanel and rotated away from the subpanel along thehinge residing between the subpanel and main panel so as to form asecond viewing/operating position or configuration.

FIGS. 6A-6B are perspective views of the protective case of FIG. 1 withthe shell folded at the spine over the cover and the main panel of theshell detached from the subpanel of the shell and rotated along thehinge there-between. The left edge of the main panel of the shellresting on the inner face of the cover so as to form a thirdviewing/operating position(s) or configuration(s).

FIGS. 6C-6F are line drawings of various perspective views of theprotective case of FIG. 1 in the general configuration illustrated inFIGS. 6A-6B.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a second embodiment of a protective casein a completely closed position such that the cover is folded over theshell component. In this second embodiment, the inner and outer layersdo not cover as much of the faces of the shell component as the firstembodiment illustrated in FIGS. 1-6F.

FIG. 8 is an opposite perspective view of the protective case of FIG. 7in the completely closed position such that the shell is folded over thecover component.

FIG. 9 is an internal perspective view of the protective case of FIG. 7showing the internal faces of the case and a first viewing/operatingposition or configuration with the cover swung open at the spine withthe subpanel of the shell remaining attached to the main panel of theshell.

FIG. 10 is a perspective views of the protective case of FIG. 7 with theshell folded at the spine over the cover and the main panel of the shelldetached from the subpanel of the shell and rotated along the hingethere-between and the edge of the main panel of the shell resting on theinner face of the cover so as to form a third viewing/operatingposition(s) or configuration(s) like that depicted in FIGS. 6A-6F.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

Various features, aspects, and advantages of the protective casesdisclosed are described below with reference to the drawings, which areintended to illustrate but not to limit the invention. In the drawings,like reference characters denote corresponding features consistentlythroughout similar embodiments.

As illustrated in the accompanying drawings, the protective case 100 isgenerally configured to receive and protect a mobile device. The case100 generally includes a shell component 200 comprised of multipleinterlocking panels and a cover component 300 comprised of a cover panel305 that is attached to the shell via a spine 450. The two componentsare in the illustrated embodiments attached to one another via aconnector component 400, which is comprised of inner and outer layers410, 430 that overlay the shell and cover panels.

The protective case 100 may be for a mobile device that is in the formof a tablet, a smart or mobile phone, an MP3 audio player, a gamingdevice, or other portable handheld electronic device. Such mobiledevices typically include a front face and a back face the differencebetween which defines the height or thickness of the mobile device, aperimeter defined by top-end, bottom-end, right, and left sides residingbetween the front and back faces, and corners defined at theintersecting regions of the sides. The entirety, most or a portion ofthe front face of the mobile device may be comprised of a touch screen.Screens may be provided on other sides as well including the back face.The device may have one or more buttons, controls and/or ports includedalong its perimeter walls and a camera lens or window and speaker ormicrophone port on its back lace.

The shell component 200 is generally defined by a top 232, bottom 234,left 236 and right 238 sides and front (inner faces) and opposing rear(outer faces) sides 210 and 230 respectively. The shell component 200may be in the form of contoured molded polymer panels including a mainpanel 220 and a rotatable subpanel 240 residing therein. The front sideor face 210 of the shell 200 defines a compartment 205 that isconfigured to receive and retain the portable electronic device, whileallowing users to access the touchscreen on the front face of theelectronic device and to control buttons and ports on the perimeterwalls of the device.

In the illustrated embodiment, the inner face of the main panel 220 ofthe shell 200 defines a compartment that is configured to snap onto andretain an LG G4™ smartphone (not shown) securely within the cavity orcompartment defined by the contoured walls of the main panel 220.Notably, the shell 200 is configured such that the main panel 220 alone,without the subpanel 240, defines a retention compartment that covers atleast partially all or most of the four sides and the back face of themobile device and is adapted to snapping onto or over the mobile deviceand securely retaining the electronic device for which it is configuredto receive. The subpanel 240, therefore, is not required for retentionof the mobile device in the shell 200. Rather, the main panel 220 canaccomplish this undertaking without contribution from the subpanel 240.

The main panel 220 includes an aperture 221 wherein the subpanel 240resides and is connected thereto via a binge 420 on one side andmechanical protrusions 246, 248 or detents on an opposing side. Thecombination of the hinged connection on one side and the mechanicaldetents on the other, allows the subpanel 240 to rotatably lock andunlock into and out of the main panel 220.

In the embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 1-6F the hinge 420 is formed bythe opposing inner and/or outer layers 410, 430 of the connectorcomponent that extends between the main panel 220 and the subpanel 240of the shell 200. In the embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 7-10 the hinge410 is formed via a mechanical pin and socket connection molded intorespective regions of the main panel 220 and subpanel 240. Otherrotatable joint connections or conventional hinge connections maybe beemployed.

The main panel 220 may also include additional apertures including acamera lens aperture 226 and a speaker and/or microphone aperture 228.Apertures may also be included in the subpanel 240, for example if thesubpanel is configured to cover features on the mobile device.

The inner faces of the main panel 220 and subpanel 240 of the shell 200include recessed regions or attachment areas 222 and 242 that aredimensioned to receive correspondingly dimensioned inner layer 410 linerregions of the connector component 400. Similarly, the outer faces ofthe main panel 220 and subpanel 240 of the shell 200 include recessedregions 224 and 244 that are dimensioned to receive correspondinglydimensioned outer layer 430 regions of the connector component 400.Incorporating recessed regions 222, 242, 224, 244 in the inner and outerfaces can mitigate the likelihood that the overlying layers 410 and 430will peel-off from the underlying shell surface with use. The recessedregions are configured such that the outer surfaces of the overlaidlayers would reside at or below the outer surfaces of the adjacentsurrounding regions of the shell 200. In this way the inner and outerlayers are effectively protected by being embedded within thecorresponding inner and outer surfaces of the shell 200. Notably, in theembodiment illustrated in FIGS. 7-10 there are no recessed regions onthe outer or inner faces of the main panel 220 in that the outer andinner layers 430, 410 are not configured to overlay the main panel 220but only the subpanel 240.

The subpanel 240 on one side is anchored to the cover via the connectorportion 400 and on the other side is connected to the main panel 220 viaa hinge 410. In order to avoid having the subpanel 240 rotate or swinginwardly through the aperture and into the compartment 205 defined bythe main panel 220, the subpanel 240 includes lips 258 along itsopposing top and bottom edges 252, 254 that are configured to engagecorrespondingly dimensioned indentations on the outer surface of themain panel 240 around the perimeter of the aperture 221 so as to providea mechanical stop.

The shell component 200 may be made of any suitable material. Forexample, the shell component 200 may be manufactured via injectionmolding using a suitable polymer such as polycarbonate and/or fiber(e.g., carbon or Kevlar) reinforced plastic. The main panel 220 of theshell 200 may be formed of the same or different material than thesubpanel 240 of the shell. For example, the main panel may be formed ofa more rigid material than the subpanel or vice versa.

The cover component 300 is configured to cover the front face of themobile device when the case 100 is completely closed and is defined bytop 332, bottom 334, left 336 and right 338 sides that correspond to thetop 232, bottom 234, left 236, and right 238 sides of the shell 200 whenthe case 100 is in the completely closed position and the cover 300 ison top of the shell 200. The cover component 300 is comprised of a coverpanel 305, which is overlaid on opposing sides with the inner and outerlayers 410 and 430.

One or more slots or openings 412 may be formed into the inner layer 410over the cover panel 305 to form a wallet or credit card holder. Regionsof the inner layer 410 adjacent to the slot 412 are configured to befree to separate from the underlying layer or cover panel 305 to allowthe credit card or similar item to slide through the slot 412 and besandwiched at least partially into the gap or space between the innerlayer 410 and the cover panel 305.

The cover component 300 may be made of any suitable material capable ofhaving the planar stability or rigidity suitable for maintainingsufficient perimeter area to cover the screen surface area of the mobiledevice contained within the shell. Accordingly, the cover panel may beformed of any suitable polymer, such as those described in theconstruction of the shell, metal, paper, wood, or cardboard, orcombination thereof.

The connector component 400 interconnects the cover to the shellcomponent and is comprised of overlaid opposing outer and inner layers430, 410 that sandwich the cover panel 305 and attach to the recessedregions of the shell component 200 as previously described. Theconnector component 400 may form the spine portion 450 in the regionsbetween the cover and the shell. The spine 450 is configured to beflexible and adapted to allow relative movement between the shell andcover components and to allow the cover 300 to open and close over theshell 200 when the case is opened and closed.

The outer layer 430 is preferably formed of a flexible yet durablematerial (e.g., polyurethane or synthetic leather). The inner layer 410,on the other hand, is configured to be in contact with the surfaces ofthe mobile device and therefore may be made of a soft lining materialsuch as a micro fabric or synthetic felt to further protect and/or avoidscratching the mobile device

The inner and outer layers 410, 430 may be attached or adhered to oneanother and the interposed components (e.g., the shell panels and coverpanel) via any suitable method including mechanical stitching, chemicaladhesion, glue, heat sealing, or combination thereof. In order to biasthe subpanel to the closed position, the layers 410, 430 may be adheredto each of the shell panels 220 and 240 when they are oriented in theclosed position. The outer layers will therefore be biased (perhaps onlyslightly) against the subpanel 240 opening or hinging away from the mainpanel 220 of the shell 200.

In operation, when the case 100 is open, the subpanel 240, which isanchored to the spine 450 and therefore the cover 300, may be detachedby the user from the main panel 220 of the shell 200 and thereby allowthe main panel 220 to pivotally rotate at the hinge 420 relative to thesubpanel 240 so that the case 100 can be folded over itself to formdifferent viewing or operating positions as illustrated in the drawings.Hence snapping the subpanel 240 into and out of the main panel 220 ofthe shell 200 allows for additional or more versatile operatingconfiguration of the case.

For example, once the subpanel 240 is detached or disengaged from mainpanel 220, the main panel 220 can rotate at the hinge 420 (between thesubpanel and main panel) away from the spine 450 over the inner face ofthe cover 300. Once rotated over the inner face of the cover 300, theproximate edge of the main panel 220 of the shell 200 (i.e., the leftside edge 236) can be position to sit atop the inner face of the coverpanel 305 to provide the desired an angled viewing position.

Retention of the case in the desired viewing position, is facilitated bythe force resulting from the weight of the mobile device containedwithin the case. Thus, the case may be manufactured or configured sothat it would not hold an angled viewing position by itself without themobile device contained therein. Rather, the case 100, as previouslydescribed, may be configured to be bias to a closed position where thesubpanel 240 and main panel 220 are generally parallel to one anotherand not rotated relative to one another. By using the weight of themobile device to provide the added weight or force necessary to bias thecase into a desired viewing or operating position, the case can bemanufactured using light-weight materials.

A corresponding method of manufacture is also disclosed. A shellcomponent (including a main panel and subpanel) and a cover component aseach is described above is molded or formed and then overlaid on theirinner and outer faces with the flexible inner and outer layers. A hinge,which connects the subpanel to an aperture in the main panel of theshell, is provided between the subpanel and the main panel along a firstside or location. The hinge may be formed by the overlaid inner and/orouter layers. The inner and/or outer layers may be overlaid when thesubpanel and the main panel are in the closed position to bias thosepanels into the closed position. Slots are formed in the inner layerover the cover panel to form a wallet or credit card holder. Regions ofthe inner layer adjacent to the slot are configured to be free toseparate from the underlying layer to allow the credit card or similaritem to slide through the slot and at least partially into the gap orspace between the two layers and/or the cover pane.

Although various aspects are herein disclosed in the context of certainpreferred embodiments, implementations, and examples, it will beunderstood by those skilled in the art that the present inventionextends beyond the specifically disclosed embodiments to otheralternative embodiments and/or uses of the inventive aspects and obviousmodifications and equivalents thereof. In addition, while a number ofvariations of the aspects have been noted, other modifications, whichare within their scope, will be readily apparent to those of skill inthe art based upon this disclosure. It should be also understood thatthe scope this disclosure includes the various combinations orsub-combinations of the specific features and aspects of the embodimentsdisclosed herein, such that the various features, modes ofimplementation and operation, and aspects of the disclosed subjectmatter may be combined with or substituted for one another. Thus, it isintended that the scope of the present invention herein disclosed shouldnot be limited by the particular disclosed embodiments orimplementations described above, but should be determined only by a fairreading of the claims.

Similarly, this method of disclosure, is not to be interpreted asreflecting an intention that any claim require more features than areexpressly recited in that claim. Rather, as the following claimsreflect, inventive aspects lie in a combination of fewer than allfeatures of any single foregoing disclosed embodiment. Thus, the claimsfollowing the Detailed Description are hereby expressly incorporatedinto this Detailed Description, with each claim standing on its own as aseparate embodiment.

This in this regard, it should be understood that each of the foregoingand various features, constructions, configurations, and aspects,together with those set forth in the claims and summarized above orotherwise disclosed herein, including the drawings, may alone or in anycombination form claims for a case device, apparatus, system, method ofmanufacture, and/or use without limitation.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method of manufacturing a protective case for amobile device, comprising: providing a molded polymer shell contoured tothe external configuration of the mobile device and configured toreceive and retain the mobile device within a compartment defined by theshell, said shell having a main panel and a subpanel that is hinged at afirst location within an aperture of said main panel; providing a covercomponent; connecting the cover component to the subpanel of the shellvia a spine; and providing a mechanical connection between the subpaneland the aperture in a second location, wherein the mechanical connectionis configured to allow the subpanel to snap into and out of the mainpanel at the second location so that when the subpanel is snapped intothe main panel, the position of the subpanel is fixed relative to themain panel and when the subpanel is snapped out of the main panel, thesubpanel may rotate about a hinge at the first location.
 2. The methodof manufacturing of claim 1, wherein the shell is formed of a differentmaterial than the cover component.
 3. The method of manufacturing ofclaim 1, wherein the cover opponent is attached to recessed regionsprovided in the shell.